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<div class="chapter" timeperiod="*" category="Martial Arts">
  <h1 class="title">
    <p>Martial Arts</p>
  </h1>
  <div class="section-body">
    <div class="section">
      <h1 class="title">
        <p>Introduction</p>
      </h1>
      <div class="section-body">
				<p>Martial Arts are the skills, practices, and traditions of training for and fighting in combat. A Martial Artist is capable of attacking, defending, and performing other tasks under the duress of combat by utilizing the skillset he has learned during his training and experience as a warrior. There are many aspects and many ways to study Martial Arts. One person may travel to a remote hill-top monastary to study with monks for years or decades before journeying forth to see the world (and kicks its ass). Another may acquire his skill in the streets and the hard-knocks of life, relying on sheer native intelligence and the introspection that comes from being beaten silly when in over his head.</p>
				<p>Martial Arts are as varied as the warriors who study them:</p>
				<ul class='itemized-list'>
					<li><p>A formal system taught in a Monastary at the top of a forbidding mountain range by strange, ancient monks</p></li>
					<li><p>An experienced soldier who has learned much by fighting battles in far-flung corners of the world</p></li>
					<li><p>A mentor from the street giving tips, advice, and brotherly beatings</p></li>
					<li><p>A school in a strip-mall in a suburban neighborhood with a teacher who knows a bit more than your average instructor</p></li>
					<li><p>A military style for the next generation of insertion operatives developed by a shadowy 3-letter agency</p></li>
					<li><p>A kinesthiology student who stumbles upon his own system while doing research for his thesis</p></li>
				</ul>
			</div>
		</div>
		<div class='section'>
			<h1 class='title'>
				<p>Rules</p>
			</h1>
			<div class='section-body'>
				<p>The basic skill required for Martial Arts is the Rank 2 Academic skill, Martial Arts.  Otherwise, the player is free to purchase other skills from the Martial Arts section, subject to the following rules:</p>
				<ol class='numbered-list'>
					<li>
						<p>No skill from the Martial Arts section may have a level higher than than your level in Martial Arts</p>
					</li>
					<li>
						<p>You may not choose a Martial Arts skill whose rank exceeds the level of your Martial Arts skill.</p>
					</li>
					<li>
						<p>You may always choose any Basic Martial Arts skill (section 6.5) whether or not you have the Martial Arts Skill.</p>
					</li>
				</ol>
				<p>Martial Arts skills are divided into three categories. These three categories are:</p>
				<dl class="description-list">
					<dt><p>Basic</p></dt>
					<dd>
						<p>these are fundamental attacking and defensive skills. These skills represent the basic tactical capbilities of a Martial Artist to strike and inflict damage or to defend against being attacked.</p>
						<div class='example'>
							<h1 class="title">
								<p>Noah and his Home Run Punch</p>
							</h1>
							<p>Noah takes Rank 3 Punch and level 3. He spends 18 CP, has 3 dice to hit, and deals 3d4C. This is his home run attack. Noah normally uses his Rank 1, level 5 Punch, which cost him 15 CP, but only deals 1d4C. When he’s feeling really cagey, he uses his Rank 4, level 2 isolation attack (12 CP, 3d4C), but that requires a grapple, and can be dangerous.</p>
						</div>
					</dd>
					<dt><p>Combat</p></dt>
					<dd>
						<p>are skills which modify the way a Basic attack or defense is performed, in addition to controlling other aspects of combat.</p>
						<p>Combat actions are other actions you can take during combat, that typically effect it. They are split into two pools: Offensive and Defensive. Offensive skills can only be used during your actions. Defensive skills can be used any time. A defensive skill which requires more than 0 actions can only be used if you have delayed actions from your normal turn. These actions are lost if you do not use them before your next turn. A Combat Action can be used anytime you are allowed to spend an Action; however, if a Combat Action indicates that it must be used prior to or after a Basic Attack, it must be used immediately prior to or after that Attack.</p>
						<div class="example">
							<h1 class="title"><p>Noah catches the crone</p></h1>
							<p>Noah has caught the fat old healer woman/village witch attempting to sneak out of the village along the south wall. Noah sticks her with his spear, and has one success. He deals 7 damage, skewering the old hag. She cries out in pain and frustration. She could cure this deadly wound, but may never get the chance. Seeing an opportunity to make an example for the other villagers, Noah uses his Pin Combat Action skill to attempt to affix the whimpering bitch to the wall she is huddling next to. Noah rolls his 3 dice in Pin, and gets two successes. The old hag may make a STR check at -4 (-2 per success) to prevent this abdominal intrusion, but her 9 strength fails her. She is now affixed.</p>
						</div>
					</dd>
					<dt><p>Combination</p></dt>
					<dd>
						<p>These skills allow you to combine Basic Attacks, Combat Actions, and Magic following specific rules. Combination skills may be purchased multiple times. When you choose Basic Attacks and Combat Actions for any particular Combination Skill, that choice is permanent. For instance, if you choose Long Swords + Deadly for the skill Level 1 skill Combine Offense, then that becomes a permanent choice. If you want to combine Short Swords + Deadly, you must take the Combine Offense skill again (also at Level 1). You must purchase Combination Skills in level order. For instance, you must purchase a Level 1 Combine Offense skill of some variety (any choice), before you purchase a Level 2 Combine Offense skill. Purchasing a level of one Combination Skill does not act the prerequisite for another Combination Skill. Combined actions now occur simultaneously, but all requirements of all skills must be met, regardless of whether this makes sense or not. That's the beauty of Leet Skillz. All Basic Attacks for a Combined action must be equipped simultaneously, or the Combined Action may not be taken. If you combine a Basic Attack with a Combat Action that already grants a type of attack, you may make two simultaneous attacks.</p>
						<div class="example">
							<h1 class="title"><p>Florentine Style with Candlestick</p></h1>
							<p>Candlestick has improbably learned the skill of Florentine Long Swords. In order to do so, he has taken the Combine Offense Combination Skill at level one. He has combined Long Sword, Rank 1 with his level 2 Multiple Weapon (Long Swords, Knives) skill. During each of his actions, he may make two attacks: one with his "good" hand, and one at -5 with his off hand, as long as he has equipped two Long Swords, or a Long Sword and Knife. On his character sheet he marks down Combine Offense: Long Swords (R1), Multiple Weapon. Candlestick also has Long Sword at Rank 4, level 2 (12 CP, +3 to hit, +2 damage), but he cannot use this with this instance of Combine Offense.</p>
						</div>
					</dd>
				</dl>
			</div>
		</div>
		<div class="section">
			<h1 class="title">
				<p>Variable Rank Martial Art Skills</p>
			</h1>
			<div class="section-body">
				<p>A number of (Basic) skills are listed with a rank of, e.g., &#x201C;1+x&#x201D;. Skills with a rank of X in Martial Arts means that when purchasing the skill, the Rank of skill is variable. Usually, for variably-ranked skills, the Rank is fixed when the skill is first purchased. However, in Martial Arts, the Rank of the skill can be increased after the skill is purchased. In order to increase the Rank, you must pay the difference.</p>
				<div class="example">
					<h1 class="title"><p>Candlestick hits harder</p></h1>
					<p>Candlestick has purchased Punch/Kick at Level 4 with Rank 3, i.e., Rank 3 = 1 + X, for X of 2. He has no problems striking opponents after Morlag, his party magician, buffs the crap out of him. However, he is finding it more and more difficult to harm his opponents, whom the GM appears to have a yen to layer with various exotic things, such as several-inch-thick layers of steel. Candlestick decides it would be best to invest in a harder-hitting punch. He wants to increase the Rank of Punch/Kick to 4. Since the cost of a Level 4 Rank 4 skill is 40 pts, and he has already spent 30 points on his Level 4 Rank 3 Punch/Kick, Candlestick needs to spend 40 - 30 = 10, character points to increase the Rank of his Punch/Kick. He does so.</p>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
		<div class="section">
			<h1 class="title">
				<p>Point Pools</p>
			</h1>
			<div class="section-body">
				<p>A number of Martial Arts Basic skills require the player to choose a variable rank, i.e., 1+X. Normally, this value is fixed when the player purchases the character. Alternately, the player (with GM approval) may instead purchase a &#x201C;Point Pool&#x201D; which allows a more flexible way to use the points allocated for a particular variable skill. Using a point pool allows the player to choose the rank and level of a skill during play.</p>
				<div class="example">
					<h1 class="title"><p>Point Pool</p></h1>
					<p>Adjam has 26 character points assigned to his Punch/Kick skill. He has 5 levels in Martial Arts. When striking at an opponent he can choose to have anything from a Rank 26 Level 1 skill (equivalent to 22 character points) to a Rank 4 Level 3 skill (equivalent to 24 character points) to a Rank 1 Level 6 skill (equivalent to 21 character points). However, in some of the more extreme cases (such as a Rank 26 Level 1 skill), the GM may optionally refuse to allow the combination, or cap it at some arbitrary point, i.e., twice his level in Martial Arts.</p>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
		<div class="section">
			<h1 class="title"><p>Categories</p></h1>
			<div class="section-body">
				<div class="section">
          <h1 class="title">
            <p>Basic</p>
          </h1>
          <div class="section-body">
            <div class="reference" name="Martial_Arts/Basic">
              <a class="hrid" href="Martial_Arts/Basic.xhtml">Martial_Arts/Basic</a>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
				<div class="section">
          <h1 class="title">
            <p>Combat</p>
          </h1>
          <div class="section-body">
            <div class="reference" name="Martial_Arts/Combat">
              <a class="hrid" href="Martial_Arts/Combat.xhtml">Martial_Arts/Combat</a>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
				<div class="section">
          <h1 class="title">
            <p>Combinations</p>
          </h1>
          <div class="section-body">
            <div class="reference" name="Martial_Arts/Combination">
              <a class="hrid" href="Martial_Arts/Combination.xhtml">Martial_Arts/Combination</a>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
